


I Am Not Alone

by Military_Brat_01



Series: Divergent Remix [1]
Category: Divergent - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-04-05 09:42:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14041461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Military_Brat_01/pseuds/Military_Brat_01
Summary: What if being Divergent meant something different? What if Tris had a best friend that was closer to her than a sister? What if Eric was good?





	1. “I wanna see new places and meet new faces."

_‘Are you sure about this Susan? Tori said this wasn’t such a great idea.’_

            _‘When have we ever listened to someone else’s’ opinion?’_ Susan’s voice in was light and confident in the decision that they had made.

            _‘Still, I’m not too sure.’_

            _‘Join with me, we’ll do this together.’_ Their minds joined together as easily as breathing, they were one person, one action one move. Beatrice watched as her hand moved to hover over the basin for Dauntless. Her blood dripped onto the hot coals and a roar from the crowd went up. Somewhere in her mind she knew that her family was not approving and probably thought she was immensely selfish, however, Susan kept that part suppressed. Susan had never fit in Abnegation anyways, for her this made sense.

Beatrice turned and walked to where the Dauntless were sitting, she took her seat next to a petite girl with light brown skin. She then watched as Susan walked across the podium to the basins, although Susan didn’t need her help, Beatrice was there for her anyways. Once more, blood dripped and sizzled over the hot coals. Susan walked toward Beatrice, her green eyes never once looked back toward where their families were sitting. Beatrice could hear and feel how she was happy with their choice and didn’t regret it.

            When the ceremony finally finished, the crowd of Dauntless raced out of the building and down the road. It was as if some unseen force led them where they needed to go, straight toward a bridge that they all scampered up the supports. On a platform, they waited. The sound of a train was heard in the distance, getting closer and closer at an accelerated rate. Beatrice and Susan watched as those born in Dauntless took a running jump and leaped on to the train. With a shrug of their shoulders they followed along.

            They landed in a car next to the girl Beatrice sat next to at the choosing ceremony. The three girls sat against the back wall and breathed a sigh of relief that they had made it this far. Susan leaned her head against the wall and felt the shaking of the train as it raced along the tracks, she zoned in to hear Beatrice talking to the girl, reaching into Bea’s head she picked out that the brown skinned girl’s name was Christina. She watched as they shook hands, it was strange to see as this was not the way Abnegation greeted each other. It was good that Beatrice was making friends in their new faction, Susan hoped that this would last.

The shorter girl stood and went over to feel the wind from the open train car door. Beatrice and Christina joined her after a minute. The train was going so fast, Susan put her hand out to stop Beatrice from leaning too far out.

            “So, anyone know where we are going?” Susan hears Beatrice’s voice more in her head than out loud, it surprised her when Christina answered.

            “I’d guess Dauntless headquarters but, does anyone really know where that is. I mean it’s almost like they pop right out of the ground or something like that.”

            Beatrice looks over Susan’s shoulder to see the orange of the setting sun bouncing off the buildings. Behind that is the faint grey stone of the houses that used to be their home. It would be her brother’s turn to make dinner that night. She wondered who would take his place.

            _‘Relax.’_ Susan’s voice calmed her busy mind and let the picture of her parents sitting at a dinner table in silence fade from her mind.

            _‘It’s hard. I feel selfish for leaving them.’_

_‘I know, but it will get better. I hope.’_ Beatrice knew that she wasn’t meant to hear the last sentence. Susan had always been the stronger of the two and had always watched over Beatrice.

            “What are they doing? Oh my gosh! They’re jumping off the train!” Christina’s voice was heard over the wind, a couple minutes later.

            The three girls feel the train slow down a little bit and look out fully at what was going on. The Dauntless born were jumping out of the cars onto a roof, the tracks where about seven stories up. Nausea rolls through Beatrice as she views the gap between the tracks and the building, she backed up to the other side of the car.

            “We have to jump.” A large girl in Candor blue said getting ready to make the leap.

            “Awesome,” a boy from her faction replied sarcasm dripping from his voice. “That’s exactly what I wanted to do today, Molly. Leap off a train onto a roof.”

            “It is what we knew we would be doing, Peter.” The girl said.

            Christina, Beatrice and Susan exchanged glances. They joined hands, Beatrice squeezing Susan tightly, trying to let her know that she was right there for her. They stand on the edge of the car and wait for the roof to get closer to them. On the count of three they jumped. There was a brief moment of weightlessness, Beatrice felt the rush it gave Susan. Beatrice’s feet slammed into the ground, so hard pain shot up her shins like needles stabbing her repeatedly. Their hands had come apart in the air, and Beatrice took a nose dive into the gravel. She sat up to hear the other two girls laughing.

            “That was so much fun.” Susan smiled. Beatrice thought about how worth it all that was to see her friend smile like that. Susan heard her thought and shot the taller girl a wink.

            They will both fit in quite well with the thrill seekers in the faction they had just joined. She stood to brush gravel from her cheek and look around at who had survived. It seemed that all had made the leap except one, an Amity boy who hadn’t seemed to fit.

            A wail went up, causing heads to turn toward the ledge, where a Dauntless girl stood staring horrified down at the ground below. Beatrice made her way over to see what was going on.

            “Rita, calm down. Rita you need to take a deep breath.” A boy held the Dauntless girl back.

            Beatrice looked over the edge to see a girl on the pavement below; her arms and legs were bent at strange angles, her hair a brown halo around her head. Beatrice’s hand flew to her stomach to quell her nausea, Susan’s hand was on her back rubbing in circles. Her voice was a calming pulse, reassuring her that they had both made it and that she was okay.

            If not even the Dauntless born were safe from this initiation, how hard was it going to be? Beatrice turned away from Rita and followed Susan. The longer she stood there the more likely she was to break down and start crying, she couldn’t do that.

            _‘No, you can’t. You can’t cry in front of these people. They already think we are going to be a weak link. You can’t prove them right. Borrow my strength and hide behind me if you must, but please…. Oh, Bea, you know that we signed on to do dangerous things, we are here to protect and defend, in that there is death. Hopefully that death, if it is to come, is only on our end and not on the end of those we are trying to protect.’_

_‘You are right, I know this. I will give myself the count of three.’_

_‘Alright.’_ Beatrice watches Susan nod at her.

            _‘One.’_  A picture of the body flashes through their minds, a shudder ripped through both of them. _‘Two.’_ Rita’s sobs can be heard in the background. _‘Three.’_ They let out a deep breath, and let the images and thoughts go.

            Beatrice pulled up her sleeve to let Susan look at her elbow as it was stinging and bothering them. Some of her skin was flaking off, however it wasn’t bleeding so they weren’t too worried about it.

            “Oh, look at that! A shocking sight, a Stiff flashing skin at everyone!”

            Susan’s head whipped around to glare at the offender. “Stiff” is a slang word for Abnegation, and they were the only two there. Every time she heard it, it made Susan’s blood boil.  It was Peter, pointing and laughing at Beatrice. The blonde-haired girl’s cheeks heated up as her sleeve fell back into place.

            “Alright, Initiates, listen here.” A mad on the other end of the roof, standing on the ledge shouted out at all of them. “My name is Eric and I’m one of the leaders of Dauntless. I will also be overseeing your initiation and training.” He was tall and had broad shoulders, with tattoos on his forearms in brown geometric patterns. Beatrice could feel the appreciation that Susan felt for his physical form.

            “Several stories below is the entrance to the compound. If you can jump then you will be excepted, if you can’t then of well…” he paused, “Who’s going first?”

            “You mean you want us to jump off the ledge?” A girl dressed in Erudite blue looks shocked at the suggestion. The two girls don’t understand why this would even be a question.

            “Yes.” Eric stated in a bored voice.

            “Is there water or a cushion at the bottom, or at least something to catch us?”

            “Who knows?” His eyebrow quirks up, and amusement can be read on his face.

            Not a single Initiate looks eager to jump. They all look anywhere but at Eric and the ledge behind him. Some of them seem to also be tending to wound they got on the initial jump off the train. Even Peter is trying to not look at the edge, he is attempting to act causal by picking at his cuticle.

            Susan and Beatrice exchange a look, and in that look they both knew that their pride would get them in trouble but today it made them brave. As one they walk toward the ledge, despite the snickers they can hear around them.

            Eric leaps off the ledge and onto the roof, clearing a spot for them. They step up onto the ledge and look down.

            “Well this is unusual.” Susan knows that he is talking about two of them going at once, but this time she doesn’t let it bother her. They both know that the hole in the concrete has to hold something that will let them land safely, it is a scare tactic that they will not let work on them. Beatrice’s teeth chatter as she reaches out to grab Susan’s hand.

            The wind whips their clothes around, the simple grey dresses hindering their movement. Beatrice takes off her jacket and tosses it on the ground, she doesn’t want it to cause any wind resistance. Susan copies her, sending her jacket to hit Peter in the chest. Catcalls and shouts echo around the rooftop. The look at the hole again. Goose bumps running up Beatrice’s pale arms, and her stomach lurches.

            “Today, Stiffs.” Eric calls out to them.

            Susan’s eyes light up with fire and she makes to turn toward him, but Beatrice tugs on her hand, sending them both over the edge. The air howled as the ground got closer and closer. Beatrice could feel Susan’s heart pounding through her hold on the other girl’s wrist.

            They hit something hard, it gives way beneath them and cradles their bodies in his hold. They are both breathing heavily, and their limbs are stinging from the impact. A net. That’s what they landed on, a net. Beatrice looks up and lets out a laugh, she covers her face with her hands.

            _‘We just jumped off a roof and lived!’_

            _‘I know, isn’t crazy! We have to get up, I need to stand up.’_

            Susan looks to the edge to see hands reaching for them. She grabs the first one and pulls Beatrice behind her. It is Beatrice who notices the dark blue of the young man’s eyes, she also notices the strength he uses to lift them both out of the net. His hands steady them as they struggle to stand upright.

            They are on a platform above the ground, so that they can see a crowd of people, and the crowd can see them. Mummers spread through the crowd. ‘Two jumpers! Have you ever heard such a thing?’ ‘Two Stiffs, the first to jump?’

            “What’s your names?”

            “Um…” Beatrice hesitates, both of the girls cock their head to the side, their names just don’t sound right for their new life.

            “It’s okay,” he says, his lips lifting into a smile. “You can pick any name you want, but this is the only time you can change it.”

            “Tris.”

            “Storm.”

            “Those are fine name, well Four make the announcement.” A girl they hadn’t notice till then, said.

            Four looked over the crowd. “First jumpers, Tris and Storm.” He motioned to each of them in turn. The crowd cheers and pumps their fists in the air. Another person jumps through the hole, dropping into the net. It’s Christina, her screams filled the air before the net caught her.

            Four takes a look at us and sets his hand on Tris’s back, “Welcome to Dauntless.”

            _‘Yes, this is where we belong.’_ Susan smiles and looks around.

            _‘Tris and Storm of Dauntless…I like it.’_


	2. If the road is easy, you're likely going the wrong way

**“If the road is easy, you’re likely going the wrong way.” -Terry Goodkind**

           

Footsteps echoed down a narrow stone tunnel. Storm had counted as they all jumped, in total there were twenty-four Initiates. They pressed in on her from every angle, she reached out to grab Tris’s hand as her once since of comfort and familiarity. Ahead of her, she could barely make out the clean-shaven head of Eric walking next to the boy Four, and the other Dauntless girl who meet them on the stage. They were leading the group somewhere, the cold air led her to believe that they were going farther under the earth.

            _‘Do you think we will ever see daylight again?’_ Tris’s voice was soft, as if others could hear her. It was something Storm had wondered too, but hadn’t wanted to consider, so kept pushing the thought away.

            _‘I’m sure we aren’t being held prisoner, Be, we should be able to come and go. Besides, the area we entered seemed like a gathering place and it had sunshine.’_

            They stop talking when Tris almost bumps into an Erudite boy that stopped suddenly in front of her. Storm watches out of the corner of her eye, as Tris reaches up to rub her nose.

            “This is where we go our separate ways,” The Dauntless girl says. “I’ll be taking the Dauntless born with me, they will be training separately from the rest of you. Besides, they don’t need a tour of the compound, now do you?” She smirks and directs her gaze toward where the Dauntless born were standing. Chuckling and shoving was heard from the group, most of the Initiates are from Dauntless, when they leave it is only nine that remain. Storm notices that she and Tris are the only Abnegation transfers and nobody from Amity joined this year, the rest are a pretty even split between Erudite and Candor.

            Thinking on Erudite makes Storm think on Caleb for a minute. She wonders how many books they will find hidden in his room. She felt bad for him, always having to hid how smart he is and how much knowledge on things he had accumulated in his head. His grey eyes flash into her head so strongly Tris has to physically nudge Storm to make her focus on what’s going on in front of them.

            “My name is Four and I am going to be your instructor for the next couple of weeks.” During the pause of breath that he took, Christina spoke up.

            “Four, as in the number?” Storm knew that the other girl shouldn’t have spoken, there was something about the boy who was to be their instructor that made her not want to get on his bad side. Then there was Eric next to him that screamed ‘stay away’.

            “Yes, that’s my name. Do you have a problem with it?”

            “No, I’m good.”

            Four turned and started walking, “We’re going to enter the Pit, where the Dauntless spend most of their free time. One day it will become your favourite place. Over ther-”

            Christina lets out a snicker, and Storm wonders if it was such a good idea to encourage Tris into becoming friends with her. “What a clever name.” She scoffs, “The Pit.”

            Storm watches Four’s eyes turn dark as he stalks over to her and glares down. For a second or two he just stares without saying anything and then very quietly, he asks for her name.

            She squeaks out “Christina, Christian Harp.”

            “Well, Harp, if I wanted to listen to a Candor parade around as if they know everything, I would have joined their faction, but I didn’t. So, I would appreciate it if you keep your mouth shut before I’m forced to do something about it.” Four turns to look at the rest of us, “The first thing you will learn is to keep all your opinions to yourself and definitely not question me.”

            We walk forward through some doors into the Pit, which the Beatrice and Storm realize is an apt description of the place. They are standing in a large underground cavern that must be a couple of miles long. Shops and other storage places have been carved out of the side, there are tunnels that branch out on multiple sides, and looking up it seems that there are other rooms that open up into the Pit and have no barrier to keep people from falling over the sides. Along the walls are blue lanterns that light up the area for people to see.

            A ray of orange light stretches across the top of the cavern, Storm realizes there are panes of glass and mirrors creating the roof. From the train it would look like any other city building. What an ingenious way of hiding the compound from those who would want to infiltrate it.

            The place is crowded with people, Storm and Beatrice have to shut down their minds so that only each other’s thoughts are getting through and not the press of everyone else’s. They experienced that once, when they were first coming into their powers and it wasn’t pleasant; neither of the girls wished to repeat the experience.

            _‘There isn’t any elderly. Where do you think they are?’_ Storm questioned,

            _‘I noticed that too. Do you think they are sent away when they can no longer jump off of a moving train or into the compound? I mean it is quite a physical faction.’_

            _‘That’s a good point. I hope not, there is so much one can learn from their elders.’_

            A group of children run past, they pay no heed to the danger they are in. Storm stops Tris from yelling out at them to be careful. A memory of the Abnegation streets appears in Tris’s mind. Storm counters it with an image of Dauntless chaos. They both agree there is something beautiful about it.

            “Over here we have the Chasm. It is here to remind all of us that there is a line between brave and stupid and it is a small line.” Four has to shout at this point as the rushing water from several stories below us fills the area with noise. “A jump off of the ledge will kill you, it has happened before and I’m sure it will happen again. You have been warned.”

            This is the only place where a railing has been seen, however it is only on one side of the iron walkway that spans the chasm. It enters the area as a soft river and then suddenly drops of and bounces among rocks. A shiver runs through Storm, as she thinks about what it would be like to fall among that.

            We walk back into the Pit and toward a tunnel leading off. The clatter of silverware and people talking, greeted the group. The Dauntless inside stood up when they entered and started making noise, both by shouting and stomping their feet and fists. It is startling yet comforting all at the same time.

            When they find a place to sit they are served food on a platter in the middle of the table. Tris and Storm sit across from each other, Four and Christina do the same next to the two girls. Before Tris can even reach for food, Four has a plate made and set in front of her, Storm copies all that is on her plate. She watches Tris pinch a round piece of meat in between her fingers.

            _‘What is it?’_ Tris throws Storm an inquisitive glance.

_‘I have no clue. Maybe one of them know.’_  Storm shrugs and nods towards the two boys sitting next to them.

            “It’s beef.” Four answers the unasked question. He passes Storm a bowl of red sauce. “Put this on it.”

            “Thank you.” Storm does as he suggests only to curl her lip in disgust. She tries the meat again without the sauce and likes it much better. Tris on the other hand, enjoys the sauce and begins to eat her meat.

            They were well underway with eating, when the doors slammed open and in walked the man who greeted them on the roof. The room fell silent as he stalked over to the Initiate table and sat on Storm’s other side, he offered them no greeting and they didn’t give him one either.

            “Well, Four, introduce me.” He demanded nodding to the three girls near the boy.

            “Tris, Christina and Storm.” Four nodded to each of them in turn.

            Eric stares at Storm, “I remember you. The two Stiffs who jumped first. It’ll be interesting to see if you’ll last.”

            _‘Oh, we’ll last all right, or or or I’l..Oh I don’t know what I’ll do.’_ Storm’s words got all twisted in her head and they wouldn’t come out with the way his eyes were piercing into hers.

            _‘Calm down. We don’t want to start anything just yet.’_

            Eric’s fingers tap on the table, they are scabbed over as if he were used to hitting something repeatedly. He gives off the appears of waiting on an answering remark from one of the girls, when he doesn’t get it he turns his attention back to Four.

            “Max has been looking for you.”

            “I know, tell him I don’t want the job.”

            “So that’s what it’s about. Well it’s not wise to keep avoiding him.” The older man stood and walked away.

            “Where you two friends?” Tris asks.

            “We were in the same Initiate class. He transferred from Erudite.” Four continued eating, giving off an air that the conversation was over.

            “Were you a transfer too then?” Tris probed.

            Four let out a deep sigh, “Here I was thinking I would only have to deal with the millions of questions from Candor. And now I have to deal with Stiffs.” His voice was cold and off putting.

It surprised Storm when she heard Tris respond, “Maybe it’s because you’re so very approachable. Similar to a bed of nails.”

Tris locked eyes with him, there was no way she could look away, doing so would be an act of submission and they both knew that wasn’t a possibility right now.

“Careful, Tr…” he whispers as someone calls his name and steals his attention.

            “I think you have a death wish or something.” Christian tells her with a smirk.

 

            After dinner, Eric leads them to where they will be staying for the rest of the Initiation process. The older man lays down ground rules and explains how they will be ranked against each other and the Dauntless born. It was terrifying to Strom, thinking that if they didn’t make it they would have to live factionless. She remembered feeding them with her mother and the pity she felt for them. Memories of listening to other at school insult and tease them came into her head, she wasn’t sure what was her’s and what was Tris’s. She did know that the worry over who schooled and gave the factionless children a choice, was all her’s.

            She laid in bed listening to other people sleep; for the first time in her life she was sleeping in the same room as other people. They had even changed together. It was strange to be around boys so much.

            _‘We have to become members.’_ Tris’s voice interrupted Storm’s thoughts. _‘It’s not like we can go back home…. I miss my parents.’_

_‘Me to.’_ Storm can feel the tears tracing down Tris’s face and knows that her face mirrors the other girl’s. Storm climbed out of her bed and into the one next to her’s; arms wrapped around her and she returned the favour. They fell asleep like that, holding on to each other for comfort and security. One way or another they would get through this and become members.


	3. Somewhere I Belong

**"** **I wanna heal, I wanna feel, like I'm close to something real. I wanna find something I've wanted all along. Somewhere I belong." -Lincoln Park**

The metal was cold in Tris's hand as Four pressed a gun into it, he didn't look at her and continued walking and talking about how they were going to learn to shoot and fight. Neither of the girls were surprised to know that Dauntless expected them to start learning to fight on day one. It fit with what they already knew about the faction. They tuned out what Four was saying about how initiation was going to be divided up.

_'_ _I'm absolutely exhausted.'_ Storm's voice was sluggish in Tris's head.

_'_ _My body feels so heavy right now. How can they expect us to fire a gun with only six hours of sleep?'_

_'_ _I have no clue. Oh, my gosh!'_ Both of the girls were startled when Four was suddenly holding a gun to Peter's head, they heard a bullet click into place.

"You need to wake the fuck up. You are holding a weapon that is ready to go off. Act like it before you shoot someone." Four said in a growl. He lowered the gun, and Tris watched Peter's eyes harden into emerald stones. He looked like he was biting his tongue to prevent the Candor in him from coming out.

_'_ _It must be hard to go from speaking your mind all the time to not being able to say anything.'_ She thought to Storm. _'I wonder what Peter said to get that response?'_

They were interrupted again by Four showing them how to aim and shoot their guns, the noise is loud and startles Tris. When it comes time for her to shoot, she holds the machine as far away from her body as she can. Her arm is dragged down by the weight of it, but she maintains her stance. She fires at the target, the sound is loud and hurts her ears, the recoil almost smacks her in the nose, stumbling, she presses a hand to the wall. Tris looks for where her bullet could have gone and sees nothing. She fires again and again, without any difference to her results.

"You know, statistically," an Erudite boy next to Tris said grinning, "you should have hit that target at least once, even by accident. It's amazing that you haven't." His blond hair fell onto his forehead as he turned back to his target.

_'_ _Will. His name is Will, and a much better man that Four.'_

_'_ _Thanks, Storm, I remembered his name. And why does it matter if he's a better man?'_

"Honestly, I think you are going against nature."

"Thanks," Tris said without any emotion in her voice, she grits her teeth and turned back toward the target. She was determined to master this, if she couldn't she would never make it through the first stage. It took a while, but she finally managed to hit the middle of the target, an adrenaline rush went through her.

_'_ _How are you doing?'_ She asked Storm.

_'_ _I'm okay. I don't think I'm that great of a shot.'_ Storm sounded sheepish and unsure of herself.

_'_ _You'll get it, don't worry.'_ Tris sent a mental picture of the target she had hit.

_'_ _That's awesome! How'd it feel?'_

_'_ _Fantastic! I feel like I can do this. You are right, Storm, we do belong here.'_

After lunch, the Initiates were taken to a room with punching bags lining one wall and a chalkboard, like the ones the Lower Level teachers used, on another wall. In the middle were several mats that cushioned the floor. Although her arms ached from holding the gun all morning, Tris didn't say a word against Four's order to punch and swing at the sandbag.

Four hollered out different punching names, while he paced up and down behind them monitoring their progress and correcting their stance every now and then. He stops next to Tris and watches her try to land a couple. It took her a while to get what she was supposed to do, and her skin took the brunt of her mistakes. The bag seemed to be laughing her, it hadn't moved at all. Four's eyes traveled up and down her body, analyzing her every movement. It wasn't sexual, but it still sent tingles through her body.

"Use your knees and elbows, you don't have the muscle to do anything else." He pressed a hand to her stomach, she was so small his hand spanned the entire width of her. Tris sucked in a breath as her heart sped up, her eyes focused on his blue ones. "Keep your tension here." His voice is almost a whisper.

Tris nodded and blinked slowly, her eyes flickered down to his mouth. She was reminded of lunch where she saw someone kiss their boyfriend in public and not get scolded for it. Tris wondered what it would feel like, to have someone kiss her… to have him kiss her.

Even after he leaves, Tris can still feel his hand. She takes a second to breathe and refocus herself. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Storm stop and shake her head, the images in Tris's head are whipped away and both of the girls are able to continue the practice.

Four dismisses them for dinner soon after, Christina comes over and pokes Tris's side. "I thought he was going to punch you or something." Her nose wrinkles at the thought. "He scares me at time. I almost wish he shouted, it would be easier to handle than the quiet voice he has been using. Come on, let's go get food."

_'_ _I never thought that he would hurt me. Should I have?'_

_'_ _I don't think you should have, but it is a concern. I mean he's teaching us to fight, we have to have someone show us the move in order to use it. Who do you think he'll demonstrate with?'_

_'_ _Hopefully not an Initiate.'_ A smirk came over her features and she wiggled her eyebrows at Storm. _'Maybe he'll get Eric.'_

Storm gave her a shove, _'Hush you.'_

Tris laughed as they walked into the pit.

"I'm going to get a tattoo." Al's voice greets the girls.

"Of what?" Will asks walking up behind the group. Christina snickers at the look on Will's face.

"I don't know, anything. I want something permanent that says I'm Dauntless so that maybe I can stop crying about it, and I know you all have heard me so don't try to deny it." He wags a finger at them.

"You are quite loud, maybe you should work on that." Christina nudges him. "I'll join you in this tattoo adventure, after all, we need to look the part in order to stay in Dauntless."

"What are you going to do if you don't make it through initiation then?" Storm asks.

"I'll just have to live with it then." The former Candor shrugs and grabs Tris's hand to pull her off toward one of the stores. "We'll catch up later."

"Have fun!" Storm shouts after them.

The two girls explore the clothing store for a bit before Christina walks over to Tris with something behind her back and a smirk on her face.

"Oh no! you are not getting me to wear something skimpy and revealing!" She protested.

Christina let out a sigh, "Don't you have any faith in me. Let me dress you up and if you don't like it you can change, and I'll never pick out anything for you to wear ever again."

Tris resigned herself to her fate and held out her hands for whatever it was that the shorter girl was hiding. The outfit wasn't half bad, she had given her a pair of black pants that fit like they were a second skin and a red shirt that hugged her curves. Christina reaches out for Tris's hair and takes out the ever-present hair band and then runs her fingers through her hair, fluffing it out.

"You are never going to be able to make me pretty, you realize, that right?" Tris said seeing the eyeliner pencil that Christina was holding up.

_'_ _Hush.'_ Storm scolded.

With a mental shrug, she murmured, 'Truth'. Despite this, she closes her eyes and tries not to squirm at the tickling sensation under her eyelashes. She opened her eyes to look in the mirror, a feeling of wrong washes over her and she expects any second to have the mirror taken away from her. It will be difficult to break the habits that Abnegation had instilled in her, however, she was confident that she would find new habits and rules to follow.

Christina was right, although Tris couldn't say she was pretty, she was more noticeable now. The eyeliner made her eyes stand out and drew her own attention when she looked in the mirror, now she felt like she actually belonged in Dauntless and not Abnegation, after all the girl who stared back at her looked nothing like the girl she caught glimpses of once a year.

"You like?" Christina asks.

"I look so different."

"Is that good or bad?"

Tris looks at herself again and gets lost examining all the differences and all the pieces that make her, her. "Sorry, I've never been allowed to look at my reflection for this long. It's definitely a good thing, Christina, thank you."

"Abnegation is so weird. Let's go watch Al get tattooed, I bet he screams."

Tris still didn't want to insult her previous faction just yet, she still had connections there and it had made her who she was today. Abnegation's rules had also driven Storm to leave it and join Dauntless, bringing Tris with her. She wouldn't be here without Abnegation's weirdness.

She grabs Christina's hand and they race down the narrow path to the tattoo store. Al is already sitting in a chair with a man drawing and intricate spider on his arm. Storm is flipping through a book of geometric shape patterns. Tris walks over to her, to peer over her shoulder, while Christina gravitates toward Will. The tall boy instantly shares his book with her and they flip through it together. Tris notices them bantering back and forth and nudging each other when they find a pattern they like.

_'_ _They're cute.'_ Storm's eyes smile at her as she opens a new book.

_'_ _Yes, they are. That's cool.'_ Tris nods at the image of a flame that decorates that page.

"I think I like this one, maybe on my forearm."

"Are you sure you're not trying to copy a certain Dauntless leader." Christina's voice teases, at hearing the placement of the tattoo. Storm's face turned bright red and she turned away to get her tattoo. Christina laughed and went to see what Will was looking at now.

Tris wandered around the room as she waited on Storm. It was decorated in pictures of other people with tattoos and sketches of images. Tris loved it, she felt like she could get lost in here wandering around and looking at all the art on the walls. A small picture grabs her attention.

"It's a raven in flight, do you like it?" Tris recognizes the voice behind her, she turns around to see Tory standing there.

_'_ _Ask her.'_

_'_ _About what?'_

_'_ _This link, if she knows if the other Divergent had it.'_

"Hello, Beatrice, right? I feel like we flashed back to the aptitude test room."

"Um...hi. It's actually, Tris now…. Do you work here?"

"Yeah, I took a break to administer the test but the rest of the year I work here." She rubs her chin and looks thoughtful, "Tris, why do I recognize that name." she snapped her fingers. "Oh, I know, you were the first jumper."

"Yes." Tris looked down at the floor.

"Congratulations. That's a high honor around here. I still know the first jumper from my initiate class."

Tris reached out to run her fingers over the sketch of the bird, "Thanks, is there anywhere we can go to talk, I have some questions for you about…something."

"I don't think that would be smart, from here on out you have to go it alone. I'm so sorry, Tris." Silence came over them.

_'_ _We'll have to get the answers another way.'_

_'_ _I'm sure there is someone else willing to talk to us, or you, don't worry.'_

"Are you getting a tattoo." Tory's voice cuts into the conversation.

Tris hadn't intended to get anything when she first came in here, but now that she was looking at the birds in flight and feeling that Storm wasn't in any pain, she considered it. It would place another barrier between her and her family, however, it wasn't like she could ever return to them. Storm pressed an idea into her head, there was a way she could honor them as well as embrace their new life.

"Can I get four of these birds in flight, here?" Tris ran her fingers over a path on her collarbone. One for each member of the family she had left behind, and one for the family that she had followed here.


End file.
